The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1887-10-07
THREETIMEs AND0UT

slOnS 10 lASulOu US avenue,
which had recently been redeemed
from the waste places OF the earth and
made to blossom as the rose with
pretty lawn-girdled, vines-draped vii.
las. The inmates OF these stylish res
licences were wont to denominate the
little house a shanty, and it's owner,
q grasping old witch, who was waiting
Till the exasperated neighbors would
pay her six times the worth OF her
property. Aristocratic souls revolted
at their close proximity to a creature
20 lost to I'LL sense OF propriety as to
grow cabbage in her door-yard, and
10 adorn the flower beds thereof with
clam shells. myself vas one OF Mrs.
Mulvany's most clamorous detrac.
.ors, until I read the chapter which
her lie made IN
1.-The short and simple annals OF
she door,"
/ lived at some distance from the
Objectionable little cottage, but fire.
qutntly had occasion to pass it, and l
never did sc without casting a covet-
II glance at the mingled glories OF
the mille-fleurs and mignonette, sweet
alyssum, myosotis and pansies, which
banked the obnoxious cabbages. One
.ovely June morning as walked by
with lingering step and glance l heard
myself called.
Miss! Miss"
Now as l am a matron Of several
years standing, it is needless to say
Twas battered by this appel!ation, and,
pausing, Iturned a beaming face upon
the speaker. AS might be expected in
the proprietor OF such a tumbledown
little house, she was a dilapidated lit
tie woman, very lame, and with the
scar OF a frightful burn d%istisurlng her
cheek and neck. One eye was swollen
nearly shut; but this, it was easy to
perceive, vas a mere temporary
blemish. She wore q n%o.colored cali
co dress, and her hair, once golden,
but now faded and gray, was loosely
knotted at the back OF her neck.
aye break the tinth commandment
livery time we go by" she said pleas
antiy; can this time | want ye to
have flowers. Came i'll an help yer
self. Take all We want"
thanked her, entered the garden
willingly and gathered the buds and
blossoms as sparingly as she would
let me.
Your flowers must be a great de.
light to you," l said presently.
They're all the comfort Ive had
Tor 10 years." replied Mrs. Mulvany.
| looked at her blankly-I, who
constantly bore in mind Cleopatra's
words:
"There's not d minute OF our lives should
pass
Without some pleasure now!"
Have S,.o O N u,n ~, n !, - u,hNS, @,loop
ure had been a stranger for ten
years!
ooh, dear! Pm sorry for you," l
said. "Have you had al unhappy
lite?"
.sit down here an wrap up yer
posies, or they'll wilt before We get
home" returned Mrs. Mulvany,
"and III tell ye me history IT We like"
OF course l was anxious to hear it,
and when she had brought me a news
paper and I had sprinkled the flowers
with ate we sat down on the door,
steps. A trellis covered with a grape
VINE sheltered us from the sun, and
through it q flagree OF light and shade
fiutsered over my white dress.
There's two things been agin me
all me life" said Mrs. Mulvany, im-
pressively. Have We niver seen dogs
they re yellow ones mostly-wid an
eye ciawed out or an ear chewed off,
an but n stump av q tail, an wan
leg gone, an maybe the hide scalded
off wild hot wather? livery one has a
stone or acurse torthe poor crayture,
an the longer it lives the more wretch
ed it gifts. That's how it's been wild
me; for there's two things been agin
me, as l said"
YES" said !, deeply interested, "and
what are they?n
Bad luck and whiskey!' she an
swered promptly. alone is bad
enough, but when ye have to fight the
two We might as we'll give it up. Not
that l drink whiskey mesself. No; l
say nothin' agin beer, an don't
think a pint av it after a hard days
washin' will hurt any woman; but I've
let whlskey alone. It's me men folks
whiskey's played the mischief wild;
first me father, then Larry, an now
Mickey. 1t always seemed as if the
only reason they liver got out av bed
sober was SO they cud go to bed
drunk"
"How dreadful" l murmured.
"tMe father" said Mrs. Mulvany,
witt, emphasis, "was the divil and
ALL" She paused to let this startling
statement have due weight, then re.
sumed: eve lived near Lewiston-ye
know the placer"
knew it well-a lovely village by
the broad Niagara river.
~ had three younger sisters, an
whin we We're childer," continued Mrs.
Mulvany. "there was niver enough to
eat nor to wear in our house; we had
nothin' in plenty except blows an
hard words. An about wanst livery
six weeks theyear round the ould sim
ner, me father, would turn us out,
mither an all. to spind the night in
rain or snow, frost or thaw. jist as it
CHANGED. We used to snuggle up agin
the pigs to kape from freezin.' I've
had a tinderness Tor pigs liver since,
there's q couple av them now in the
back yard"
Their presence WAS, indeed, family
perceptible to the olfactory organ.
~ was 13 whin the cholera broke
out" proceeded my hostess. "Wap
by wan me little sisters died, an ia
ther an | carried thin in their little
collins to the graveyard. Thin father
himself came down wild the sickness,
an got SO wake he cudn't even scowl,
let alone swear; it was the first time
in his married lie he had liver been
sober SO long, an it a a blissed re-
lafe to me mither.
cat last, wild the help iy the saints,
we pulled him through. an thin as
there wasn't so much to be done at
home amy more, l whit out to sery.
ice. l worked several years an had
saved o good bit O. money, whin one
day l got word that me mither was
awful sick. give up my place an
went an took care az her. an it's me
b,lafe to this day that she might have
got well il she'd tried to-; but sas was
list worn out by the hardness av her
life wild that brute.
IVAN night, in the midst av q terri.
BILE rain an wind, whin | was all alone
wid her, she says:
kathleen, I'm dyin', an yez must
go for yer father
"WelI, l cud see by the stare av he1
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